Pain in Tooth When Eating – Is it Necessary to Visit a Dentist?

It is hardly possible to meet someone who enjoys visiting the dental office, despite the fact that high-quality anesthesia and modern equipment allow treating teeth absolutely painlessly. There are cases when a patient suffers toothache, trying to defeat it himself with the help of different folk remedies and painkillers. People are apt to visit a dentist when a tooth cannot be saved or they are already in need of serious treatment with the removal of a tooth nerve. Tooth pain is unpleasant sensation; it can be caused by various dental problems. Often patients come to a dentist with complaints about tooth pain when pressure is applied. An experienced dentist will give several reasons for this discomfort, and they differ in the intensity of pain and the condition of the tooth before it occurs. Pain in tooth when eating may be a sign of periodontitis developing under the filling of tooth decay or jaw injury.

Causes of Tooth Pain when Pressure Is Applied

Pain in the tooth is manifested differently – it can be sharp, dull, aching, as well as pain when pressed. Among the possible causes of such a discomfort are the following ones:

pulpitis (inflammation of pulp);

trauma to a tooth (sometimes when the adjacent one is removed);

caries (including under a filling);

poor filling;

damage to the roots when a nerve is removed;

If pain in tooth when eating appears in the recently filled tooth, it may be normal: after treatment of channels, such pain is considered the norm and takes place over a period of 8 hours–4 days and without outside interference. It depends on the medical equipment used, the qualification of the dentist, and the medication. If the pain persists, the tooth has not recovered. If it has been a while since you visited a dentist, and now a tooth aches when pressure is applied, it goes without saying that it is necessary to have the aching tooth examined. Depending on the state of the crown of tooth, there are several causes of pain.

Caries. If this is the case, then pain is manifested at the time of eating solid foods (for example, pain in tooth when eating chocolate). When cleaning problem areas, the pain is expected to cease.

If a tooth has a cavity devoid of food remnants and the pain still appears when pressure is applied, it can be periodontitis. However, the pain extends beyond the apex. Often, this process is a consequence of neglected pulpitis.

If a tooth has been filled and there is pain when pressed, then there probably occurs caries, which may have already reached the pulp. Therefore, in such a situation, it is important to have a tooth filled properly as soon as possible.

This can also be the case with a healthy-looking tooth. It can be due to inflammation of the root or mucous membrane.

It is also possible to damage a nerve during treatment – then the tooth will ache under the filling when pressed (one of the symptoms of periodontitis). If you have a toothache under a crown, it means that the inflammation has occurred due to grinding. This disease can also manifest itself because of the old crowns, which require replacing.

Complications of Periodontitis

If pulpitis is not treated promptly, the infection spreads deeply, causing inflammation of the nerve. Chronic periodontitis can be unseen for quite a long time, but in case of decreased immunity there will be, for example, pain in tooth when eating sweet food (or rather, any solid food). In some cases, hidden periodontitis is detected in the treatment of the adjacent teeth with an x-ray examination.

Periodontitis is often accompanied by suppuration. Pain may be so intense as to affect an ear or eye. In such cases, the pain manifests itself not only in irritation of the tooth – the slightest impact on the affected area causes discomfort.

There is a feeling that the tooth is unstable or has grown up above the rest. Due to the inflammation, there is fever, weakness, and bad condition in general. If treatment is not promptly performed, pathogens spread to the neighboring tissues.

In more advanced forms, toothache occurs not only when pressed, and an abscess is forming. A further neglect leads to osteomyelitis of the jaw (destruction of bone), sinusitis, phlegmon (extensive purulent lesion of muscles) and other infectious diseases.

What Is to Be Done if there Toothache when Pressure Is Applied?

So, what can be done if a tooth aches when pressed? First, you can take one or two painkillers and carefully clean the teeth and the tongue. The easiest method to create an outflow of the contents from the area of inflammation is rinsing. Before visiting a doctor, you can rinse your mouth with solution of potassium permanganate or sodium. It is not recommended taking antibiotics or anti-inflammatory drugs without consulting a dentist.

So, if such pain has occurred, it is necessary to see a dentist. He will choose the appropriate method of treatment. If it is caries or periodontal, you will need filling and a course of treatment. In case of a fracture of the roots, the entire tooth or its damaged part is removed. Each case has its own method of treatment, and it is only a specialist who can choose the appropriate one. The sooner you visit a dentist, the higher is a chance to save the tooth.